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Ashes
Prologue My name is Dustpaw. I used to be an apprentice of ThunderClan, I loved to hunt and talk to my friends in our spot by the creek. I didn't like practice fighting so much though. But of course that was before everything blew up a few days ago. StarClan sent my best friend Leopardpaw a message that the Clans had to leave because the world was ending. Which was kind of ridiculous, but we left anyways to be safe. And then Mosspaw (another best friend) was told to take us to the Sun-Drown place. We were half-way there when the explosions started. And then the world started to die. We had no idea where to go next. Because, StarClan had left Mosspaw without a clue where to go once she had taken us to the sea. It seemed like a dead-end. Then Bramblepaw (another other best friend) told us she had to be sacrificed in order to get across to the Last Place. So we gathered in the water and Bramblepaw stayed behind. I've known my whole life I was a coward. But I never did anything as cowardly as leaving a friend to die. Chapter 1 "Go!" Bramblepaw meowed, turning away. Dustpaw looked at her, eyes wide. He'd woken up this morning, expecting to die, corned between the fire and the water. But instead his friend had told them that she was to die so they could live. He knew, from quiet times of listening to his friends talk while he stared into the creek's pebbly bottoms, that Bramblepaw was somewhere none of the others could get to. Bramblepaw wanted to make everything more dramatic, she had a flair. She could tell excellent stories, but she could scare herself too. Dustpaw took a step, making to go after her, "Bramblepaw-" She turned on him, and the fury in her green eyes startled him, "Go Dustpaw, get out of here!" Dustpaw pelted back to where the others were regrouping, staring at Bramblepaw mournfully. Ashpaw gulped, then muttered, "C'mon guys, we're making it harder for her." He turned and padded towards where the other cats where gathering in the water. Dustpaw followed, glancing behind to see that, after some hesitation, Mosspaw and Leopardpaw followed. When they reached the water, Dustpaw let the cool water wash over his aching paws. Days of walking hadn't made his paws any less sore then if he had journeyed by paw to StarClan and back. Dustpaw looked at the water, the land, the sky. This was where three worlds met, where they ended and begun. He sighed and looked at Bramblepaw. She stood at the top of the Sun-Drown place, the fire behind her, outlining her shadow, but making it almost impossible to see her face. Her fur blew back slightly in the wind and Dustpaw remembered, with a pang, when they were kits playing and Bramblepaw and Mosspaw always argued over who got to be leader. She looks like a leader now, Dustpaw thought sadly. She deserved to be one. She has a Warrior's heart. '' Suddenly he felt a terrible longing to run. It was the same feeling he'd had when he and Ashpaw had run into a fox while on border patrol- only multiplied by a thousand. He waned to wake up. This wasn't real. The world wasn't ending and Bramblepaw wasn't going to die. He opened his jaws to call out to his friend, to someone at the same time Bramblepaw did. She yowled something and Dustpaw felt funny. He looked at his paws and to his horror, saw they were disappearing. He yowled in panic and looked up, hoping to meet Bramblepaw's eyes for one last time. But she had turned away, leaving him to vanish alone, cursing him to forever blame himself for not trying harder to change what had happened. Chapter 2 Dustpaw blacked out for a few moments. He felt alive, just....blind. It was a strange and frightening feeling, but finally, the world came into focus again. It seemed much more peaceful, the fire was gone and so was the beach. Dustpaw realized he was sprawled on the grass and stood, looking around with curious eyes. Most of the Clan cats were still laying down, but some where up like Dustpaw. He let his eyes roam around the dew-speckled grass, the perfect trees, the slight ripples on the starry water from a breeze....this must be StarClan. Leopardpaw had described it to him once. He noticed several shadows, moving low to the ground and quick over the grass, almost as if their paws weren't touching the ground and they soared towards the Clan cats. Seeing the starry warriors inspired him. But it frightened him too. And of course there was Bramblepaw. He watched as the StarClan cats descended a hill and made their way to the Clan cats, still running effortlessly. The others began to stir and Dustpaw watched with wide eyes as the one in the lead, slightly smaller then the others ran up to him. "Dustpaw?" she meowed. "Spottedpaw?" he was startled. She smiled, "Hey...come here, I need to tell you something." "Um...okay." he meowed, looking back at his friends slightly worried. What if they woke up and he was gone? "I'll tell someone to tell them you're with me," Spottedpaw meowed persuasively. "Okay," Dustpaw meowed, not really wanting to go, but unable to find a reason to say so. Spottedpaw nodded curtly and led him away from the others. Chapter 3 Dustpaw felt like he was running, faster then anyone could possibly run. He wondered what Spottedpaw was doing....did being in StarClan make cats stronger, faster, more agile? It felt like it. They hurtled past meadows, over small creeks, and through pine forests before coming to a stop under a large oak. Dustpaw was strongly reminded of the Great Oak back home and a jagged lightning of hurt ran through him and he felt his paws shake. He wanted to go home. This wasn't fun. He was tired and he just wanted to run home and curl up by his friends and fall asleep. Spottedpaw stopped, "Here's good..." she meowed, almost to herself. "No one will be able to hear us." Dustpaw waited for a moment-til the pain was reduced to a dull ache. Then he looked up and meowed quietly, "Why do you want no one to hear us?" Spottedpaw's eyes had a tormented look to them, "Dustpaw, Thunderstar- the cat who got you all here, made me promise not to help you anymore. He said it would make your journey worthless, that you needed to do it alone. And I promised...but I can't just leave you guys to die. So I don't want anyone hearing me tell you what to do." "Wait," Dustpaw meowed, "Why are we here and what's happening? Can't you please tell me?" Spottedpaw nodded, "Okay, but it has to be fast. And I don't understand much of it myself." "Thanks," Dustpaw meowed politely. "Thunderstar was one of the Ancients, someone who was about to Leave anyways. So he used his power- it's immense, he was a founder as well as a really old StarClan spirit....anyways he used his power to bring you all here and deposit you across the ocean, near to the Last Place. You'll still have to walk, but it won't be far." Dustpaw gulped. "And Bramblepaw?" "She was a test," Spottedpaw's eyes shone with tears, "I'm so sorry." Dustpaw wanted to shout. But he had never shouted, not once in his life. Unless you counted the multiple times Ashpaw scared him on the way back from Gatherings or Moon-high patrols. "Is she-" "Not here yet," Spottedpaw meowed softly as if reading his mind, "She still has a long journey to make. But Dustpaw, I need you to help the Clans make the next leg of the journey." Dustpaw knew he should say no. He would say no. This journey had led to many cats dying, the loss of their home. And Bramblepaw's death. He opened his mouth to refuse. "Fine." Chapter 4 Dustpaw stared at his paws in frozen horror as Spottedpaw blathered on about something. ''What did I just do? I want to tell her there's been a mistake, that I'm sorry, can I please go now. Because there's no way StarClan could've chosen me to help them save the Clans. It's just not possible. Spottedpaw looks at me, "So what do you think?" she asks brightly. "Spottedpaw, I can't. I can't do this because I'm too afraid and I'm not brave enough and this killed Bramblepaw and I've already lost my home and my friend and I don't want to be a big deal." I take a much needed deep breath, "I just wanted to be normal, apart of the shadows." A flash of disappointment flashes across her face and I feel a stab of pain that I can't help her. "I'm sorry," I say, and I mean it. "What if.." Spottedpaw meows, her eyes brightening, "We can walk in someone else's dreams, give them the information, and then have them relay it to the Clans." "But then..." Dustpaw meowed, slightly confused, "Why not just tell someone else?" Spottedpaw sighed, clearly just wanting to get on with it, "The vision that made me..." she trailed off awkwardly and Dustpaw nodded, "I saw the world falling. But I also saw you five." "Us five?" She sighed again, "Mosspaw, Leopardpaw, Bramblepaw, Ashpaw, and you." "Ashpaw too?" Dustpaw thought. Oh well, ''he thought, ''Everyone else will be happy about this. '' "Yes," Spottedpaw nodded, "You five had to be the ones. Me too. I had to die so I could help you this way. Bramblepaw's not the only one." Dustpaw shook his head, "Fine then, whatever. Tell me what to do and let's go." "Once we get the Clans down on the other side of the sea, you will have to lead them, first towards the brightest star, the North Star. If you follow that, you will find the Last Place." "Great!" Dustpaw meowed, enthusiastically. "Let's get back to the others!" He led the way this time, trotting through the dark trees until they reached where the Clans stood in slight shock as a starry tom with golden fur explained what had happened to them. Dustpaw already knew, but he listened attentively anyways to be polite. As the tom drew his speech to a close, he suddenly felt an absence of warmth on his right side. He turned. Mosspaw was not where she had been sitting just moments ago. Dustpaw looked around for a few moments, but no one else seemed worried so he turned back to the golden furred tom who meowed, "Please follow Spottedpaw and Windsong. They will take you to the Pond." The Clans shuffled off and Dustpaw went with them, before suddenly realizing that Mosspaw was beside him again. "Where'd you go?" he muttered. "Tell you later," she murmured back. They had arrived at a large small body of water that seemed bigger then a pond, but much smaller then a lake. The cats stood in a circle around it's edge, Spottedpaw and a silvery she-cat that Dustpaw assumed was Windsong faced everyone and Spottedpaw meowed loudly, "This will take you to the other side where you can finish your journey to the Last Place. When you're inside, try not to move around a lot and please keep quiet. We'll be watching you and someone has the instructions for what to do next." Windsong took a step forward, her pale green eyes wide, "Good luck," she meowed in a voice that was rather sing songy. Dustpaw looked at everyone else, locking eyes with Leopardpaw as he and the others jumped into the pond. Chapter 5 Dustpaw focused his hardest on staying still and quiet as Spottedpaw told him to do. A couple kits shrieked, but now there was just the sound of wind rushing past his ears and the scents of the wild and home fading away. ''Thud! Dustpaw landed awkwardly, but stayed on his feet. Almost everyone else fell down but Dustpaw wasn't surprised. While his friend's had talents in healing, fighting, and hunting, Dustpaw was far more agile and quick on his feet. He peered around nervously, new scents, sounds, and sights assaulting him. It pained him how much the place they had landed looked like their home. They were in a huge meadow, pine trees on either side. He could hear squirrels and mice scrabbling in the bracken and he saw an owl hoot and take flight, disgruntled by the sudden appearance of the Clans. Leopardpaw and Mosspaw quickly joined him, followed by a huffing Ashpaw. "I never want to do that again," Leopardpaw meowed, "I almost got sick." Dustpaw had found the trip exhilarating, but he said nothing, just continued staring at their surroundings. Then, with a sudden gasp, he titled his head back to see the stars. "I can't see them!" he yelped, "The stars are gone!!!" Several cats turned towards the sound of his voice, then up at the sky, and then gasped. "Oh StarClan...where have you taken us?" Dustpaw could just hear Smokestar murmur helplessly as the Clans went into an uproar. "Listen!!!" Dustpaw was as shocked by the strength of Mosspaw's voice as anyone else. All the cats turned towards her with wide eyes, begging for help, for answers. For a sign that they weren't alone. "Look," she meowed. Dustpaw could hear the razor sharp edge of annoyance in her tone, but he doubted anyone else could, "StarClan has told me what to do. And the stars will guide us as surely as they always have" Dustpaw could practically feel the tension evaporate. Mosspaw had become a hero, practically a legend. And her word was enough to make them relax. "How do you know?" Dustpaw flinched as a ShadowClan cat called out, "Who told you?" Mosspaw's eyes traveled through the crowd, locking with Dustpaw's for a split second, their green intensity trying to see something. She knows. '' "Don't tell them..." Dustpaw murmured. He didn't want to be a hero, he just wanted to help, "Please....don't tell them." Mosspaw must have seen the urgency in his eyes because she looked the tom in the eye and meowed, "A friend. And you trust me, why does it matter?" The ShadowClan tom grumbled, but everyone else seemed happy. "We will follow the brightest star!" Mosspaw cried, "The North Star will lead us to the Last Place and we will be safe!" And as though StarClan was listening, tiny pinpricks were suddenly in the sky, stars waiting for the right time to shine. And the brightest one was clearly visible. ''Is that you Bramblepaw? Are you leading us to safety? "We leave in the morning!" Mosspaw yowled, "Be prepared!" Chapter 6 Dustpaw couldn't fall asleep, but he lay perfectly still and silent anyways. Ashpaw and Leopardpaw were asleep, but Mosspaw didn't seem to be. He wished they didn't have to leave this place. It reminded him so much of home. Then he wondered why this place wasn't destroyed- why hadn't he seen it before? Everything should be dead or dying. But the trees were green, the meadow alive, and all of the animals were clearly alive as well. He sighed. It was too confusing, he'd think of it tomorrow. He closed his eyes, letting darkness overtake him. But he didn't sleep a wink all night. The next morning, he almost missed the sunrise. But he woke up, jumping up and watching the first rays of sunlight seep over the horizon, then the rest of the sun following, a huge fiery golden mass beaming down on the Clans. It reassured him that rain or shine, storm or snow, the sun would always rise. And even though the world as ending, he found it comforting that the sun still rose. Of course, soon the Clan cats who hadn't been woken by the sun's gentle rays of light were now being woken by Mosspaw who paced among the scattered groups, yowling that it was time to go. Dustpaw stretched, feeling strangely refreshed, even though he hadn't slept at all. Mosspaw passed by him, but she didn't say anything. Dustpaw wondered if she was disgusted by his lack of bravery. Or was she just not trying to draw attention to him? For all his practice at reading cat's body language and looks, he couldn't figure it out. Finally, they set out. Dustpaw hung at the back of the group, watching the forest. He had said his good byes to the forest before they left, touching the trees with his tail, calling good bye to the sparrows, nosing the apprentices den good bye. But this forest was so alike, for a moment, he couldn't help slipping back, whispering to the stream, climbing the trees... But as he padded away, out of the pine trees and into the barren ash-lands, he looked back and gasped. The beautiful forest had become part of the ash-land in moments. There was no changing, just one second he had seen lush forest and the next unbroken desert. The animals were gone and nothing remained of the meadow. Some trees lay on their sides, gray and brown trucks that had reached so long for the sky finding themselves farther from it then ever. Dustpaw gasped, running to catch up with Leopardpaw and the others. Chapter 7 Besides the ghost forest, there wasn't much else interesting. Mosspaw led them doggedly over hills of ashes, piles of cinders, and more plain plains then Dustpaw could count. It would've been boring, but at the back of his head he knew that something had been here once, creatures had lived here, maybe even Clans. These thoughts kept him plenty busy, so he barely noticed when they settled down to rest. He closed his eyes but didn't let himself dream. He had no wish to speak to Spottedpaw tonight. But he couldn't stop the nightmares. Dustpaw stood between the Warriors in the waves and the fire engulfing the weeds at the end of the beach. He looked down. The cats in the ocean were just black shadows, waiting to be whisked away. He smiled. At least this time he would do things right. He would save the Clans and Bramblepaw. He wouldn't be stuck in this scene forever, trying to think of a way he could've saved her. '' ''He backed away from the Clans, ready to call out the words Bramblepaw had said, to tell StarClan he was ready to prove that the Clans were worthy. Then he noticed his paw. Instead of their usual dusty brown color, they were a darker brown. He looked around, then ran to a small pool of water nearby, looked inside, then shrieked. Bramblepaw's face was staring back at him, '' Then he was just in front of the flames, running to keep from getting scorched. He saw the ocean, this time it was empty, save for one cat. He ran as fast as he could, knowing he had to get to the ocean and ''Bramblepaw. But the sand tugged at his paws and he felt like he was running in slow motion. The sun began to set and the fire was almost upon him, the ocean still far away. Bramblepaw' looked sad, but she stayed in the ocean. '' ''"Help me!" Dustpaw whispered, then louder, "Help me!!!!" But Bramblepaw stayed where she was. Ashpaw woke Dustpaw up the next morning. Dustpaw snapped away, sitting bolt upright,t hen padding away. He wanted to thank Ashpaw for not saying anything about the tears that were still trickling from his eyes, but he couldn't find the words. Chapter 8 "There's no prey," Ashpaw meowed bitterly. Mosspaw nodded, Leopardpaw looking worried. Dustpaw also nodded mutely. "We were able to find prey at the other...place." Leopardpaw meowed, "Why can't we find anything here?" "Maybe StarClan was helping us before," Mosspaw meowed thoughtfully. "Or maybe the world's getting worse," Ashpaw meowed darkly, speaking as if the world was a sick kit who seemed to get more ill instead of better. Mosspaw sighed, "We'll starve if we don't get to the Last Place soon. But what can we do to speed things up?" Ashpaw nodded, "There's nothing we can do, we should just keep going." "I hate to say it," Leopardpaw meowed hesitantly, "But we could decrease sleep time." Mosspaw stiffened, but she nodded, "I guess it's the only way," she meowed tiredly. The others nodded and got up to leave. Dustpaw rose, ready to follow them, but Mosspaw called him back. "Dustpaw." He turned, trying not to show his anxiety. Was she going to tell him what a coward he was? Was she disappointed in him? Or was it just something dumb? "Yes?" his voice came out squeaky and he flinched in embarrassment. Mosspaw didn't seem to notice. She watched his with quiet blue eye. "Why'd you do it?" "What?" he asked cautiously. "You could've been a hero." she meowed quietly, "You could've been as important as any leader. And you gave it up. I just....I just don't get it." Dustpaw kept his eyes on the floor, "I don't want to be a hero or important or a leader. I just want to be a normal apprentice with friends and a home. I knew you'd be able to help the Clans more then I could. So I asked Spottedpaw to tell you.." Mosspaw just stared at him with wide blue eyes. Dustpaw hated her gaze, knowing she was calling him a thousand names behind it. Coward, scaredy mouse, mouse heart....He was all of those things. But that didn't make it hurt any less. "Got to go," he meowed, shoving his way out of the den. Mosspaw didn't say anything. The rest of the Clans lay sleeping before him. He wondered, maybe if he was someone like Bramblepaw or Mosspaw, maybe he would feel the urge to wake them all up, to tell them that he'd saved them. That he was a hero. That he was special. But his paws led him quietly through rows of sleeping cats until he found Leopardpaw and Ashpaw. He curled up next to them and fell asleep. Chapter 9 Spottedpaw padded up to him, almost the moment he fell asleep. Inwardly, Dustpaw groaned, but he dipped his head politely and meowed, "Greetings." "You've been avoiding me," she meowed. Dustpaw flattened his ears and looked down in embarrassment. Somehow Spottedpaw's disappointment hurt more then Mosspaw's words earlier. "Never mind," she meowed quickly, "Let's talk," She led him over to a small rock by a starry river. They sat across each other and Dustpaw looked at her, ready for something. "You're so close..." she meowed. "But some cats aren't going to make it." "From starvation?" he asked. She nodded sadly and Dustpaw sighed. Almost on cue, his belly rumbled. "I'll get you something," Spottedpaw meowed quickly. She turned away and almost a moment later, she came back, carrying a large squirrel. Dustpaw was glad it looked liked a regular squirrel and not some kind of starry animal. He bent over to eat it, then remembered all the other cats who couldn't eat back at the camp. "No thanks." he meowed regretfully. Spottedpaw tipped her head, "Because the others can't have any?" He nodded and she sighed, "You're one of the best cats I know Dustpaw. And I'm really happy you've made it this far." Dustpaw nodded, then looked around, "Um, is Bramble-" "Still not here," Spottedpaw meowed, her eyes full of sympathy. "I'm sorry." Dustpaw swallowed, "Let me know when she is, will you?" Spottedpaw nodded, "Promise. And Dustpaw..." she smiled shyly, "You're part is almost done, but you should come back sometime." He nodded, smiling for the first time in days, turned, and padded away. Chapter 10 Dustpaw woke up, watching the sunrise like always. But in the back of his mind, he wondered how close they were. There was no sign of anything on the horizon and a safe place seemed like it would've been easier to find. As the others woke up, Dustpaw waited impatiently. Maybe if the others woke up earlier we could've ''been ''there already! Finally, they began to move. Dustpaw trotted to the front of the group, in between Ashpaw and Leopardpaw. He saw a large hill in front of them, spanning out for what seemed like forever. Making a valley, a crater. He smelled trees. His eyes widened and he shrieked, "We made it!!!!" There was a sudden push against him, cats trying to get there first, to see what was there. He and the others rode the wave of warriors, racing to their new home. At the top of the hill, Mosspaw turned, "This is the end of an era, but the beginning of forever." she smiled, her eyes dancing. Most of the pain seemed gone and she smiled like she hadn't smiled in months, "We've found our new home." The Clans yowled as one, following Mosspaw as she turned tail and raced down the slope, leading the Clans to their new homes like she had been born to. Dustpaw lagged behind. He didn't want to go quite yet. He didn't want to find a new home when he was still getting over the loss of his old one. He turned and gasped, happily surprised. Spottedpaw smiled at him, "You're a hero. Don't ever doubt it." Dustpaw smiled, and Spottedpaw grinned shyly, "So...maybe sometime we could....talk..." Dustpaw nodded, "I'd like that." Spottedpaw purred, "But now I've got to go. But someone else is here." And she vanished, leaving Dustpaw to stare into startling green eyes he had never expected to see again. He searched them anxiously, looking for the anger, the sadness he expected to see. But there was nothing but forgiveness, love, and the same light she'd had when she was alive. "You come too?" he asked, motioning towards the hill. Bramblepaw nodded and he led her, racing her, over the hill and to whatever lay behind it. Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics Category:Stories Rated Worse Category:Series